Ashes To Ashes: I have a fear...

[grainweevil]

 I have another theory, but it's one I fear could be closer to the truth and I don't think I like it.

Consider the "fourth wall", self-awareness and things being described as "Meta". Consider it in relation to the end of Life on Mars and throughout Ashes To Ashes. For instance:

• The Test Card Girl turning off the picture at the end of LoM 2x08
• Alex's knowing how the Genieverse works because of LoM Sam.
• "A sizable rump of intelligent women"
• The set-up at the start of A2A 2x04 to lead everyone to think Gene and Alex were off to an intimate rendezvous.
• Jenette's comments about Gene's hands and eyes - pulled lock, stock and barrel from the fan girls.
• Burst of static at the very start of A2A 3x01, as if someone had turned on or changed channels on a television.
• Slo-mo heroic!Gene
• Keats' "The chemistry between you. It's obvious" line.
• Keats speech at the end of A2A 3x01 to Gene, saying it's his job to show "them" Gene isn't the nice guy "they" think.

There's probably others, but anyway, you get the idea. The "nods" to the fans are increasing. Now on the one hand I'm actually kinda hoping it's just hideous conceit on the part of MandA, but there's this lurking fear that actually the answer to the Big Picture is going to be something along the same lines. Consider Gene and Co appearing on a DVD cover; all the recording to tapes, both audio and video; the use of the series one DVD menu graphics in the offices of "Dot Matrix"; etc. Perhaps Alex Drake is the ultimate fan, who watched Life On Mars, was shot and created her own, 80s version. Maybe the fact they're all just one big television show will be the answer. I don't know. But I can't shake the feeling of unreality that's permeated through this first episode of series three - which sounds ridiculous in a show that's all about unreality, I know - and this is the kind of thing that would appeal to Matthew Graham in particular as being "clever" and unexpected. Me, I hope I'm on entirely the wrong track, because I'm not convinced that they, or Ashes, are good enough to pull it off. And that's the saddest thing of all.